


Cursed

by red_camellia



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Curses, Demons, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, M/M, Old Xian's Catboy & Demon AU, Tianshan - Freeform, does anyone even still want to read this, you know what kinda genre tianshan is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-07-24 17:16:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16179605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_camellia/pseuds/red_camellia
Summary: The young demon, He Tian, curses the village where Mo Guan Shan lives. As the curse does not unfold entirely, He Tian is forced to fix his mistake to not bring disgrace upon his family and to be accepted by the other demons. Mo Guan Shan, a human, shall be the key to He Tian's plan but when the two finally meet, unforeseen things happen...





	1. Curse

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Old Xian's little filler chapter with the Demon and Catboy AU. I asked on tumblr whether I should write a fic for this AU and didn't think anyone would want to actually read it, but some people came back to me. I know this was a while ago and it took me forever to write. But if anyone still cares for this AU, here it is.  
> I hope you enjoy, while we all wait for the next 19 days update!
> 
> A little warning ahead, this is like 19 days for mature readers. There will be some violence in it (not quite as much as in the manhua, however)

Nestled in between mountains, a dark forest and a river that led further than anyone had ever gone, lay a small village. It was a peaceful village, unlike many other villages in the dark forests it was not plagued by the demons. For this the villagers thanked the gods who kept them safe from the demons. The villagers brought gifts to the shrines and temples every week to ensure the village’s safety from the demons. The main temple was built inside the dark forest, that had grown onto the mountain like moss and melted dark green into the shadows of the mountain. The red temple glowed in bright contrast to the dark lush green trees.

Mo Guan Shan knew that the offerings would be brought every Thursday at night to the temple. A small procession that could easily spotted through the dark leaves by the candles that the young girls carried, made its way to the temple in the forest. In the middle of the procession was an old man, the priest, he was singing. Right behind him, Mo Guan Shan spotted two boys he went to school with. Jian Yi and Zhan Zheng Xi, they were carrying offerings: fruits and flowers.  
Zhan Zheng Xi looked rather bored but a short annoyance flitted across his face and Mo Guan Shan saw how he slapped Jian Yi’s hand, which was quickly retracted from the basket of fruits. It was a great sin to steal from the gifts for the gods but Jian Yi was a carefree boy who did not pay much attention to the rules of the village.  
Mo Guan Shan however knew about the heavy crime he was about to commit and it weighted heavy on his shoulders. His fists were shaking, he could never be so carefree as Jian Yi was.  
Ever since Guan Shan’s father had disappeared, it had been tough for his mother to provide for them and now that she had fallen ill, it was upon Guan Shan to find food one way or another. His heart was hammering against his chest as the procession stopped and they laid down the offerings and the priest sung another prayer. Guan Shan waited until the procession stood up once more and left. He watched the dots of lights be engulfed by the darkness entirely, only then he tiptoed to the temple.  
It was huge, larger than he had ever imagined. He had only seen the temple in the far distance and on paintings so far. He walked up to the temple and looked back over his shoulder. Then he kneeled down, he hesitated with his hand outstretched, his fingertips hovering over the fruit basket. 

 

At the very same time, in a far away place, a dark place, only lit by flames seemingly burning on the very ground, a young boy with jet-black hair was standing in a circle of dark figures.

“He Tian”, a voice echoed through the hall. 

The flames threw eerie shadows over Tian’s face, when he opened his mouth, he revealed pointed fangs. The young demon was about to take his first test to prove his abilities. 

“Which is the object you have chosen?” a deep female voice asked. He Tian looked up at her. 

“A village”, he said. There was muttering. 

“The boy wants to curse an entire village?”, someone murmured. Another dark shadow huffed. 

“Little boys always think they are more than they’ll ever be”. 

He Tian had heard the whispering and their harsh words, his face was stony.

“Well, begin”, the female said unimpressed and stepped back. 

 

Back at the temple in the forest, Mo Guan Shan shoved some of the fruit into a bag made from an old shirt. He dug his hands into the second basket and shovelled a bit of rice into another bag. The uncooked rice grains felt nice against his fingers. He quickly got up and shortly glanced at the temple, the apology got caught in the back of his throat and he stumbled away ashamed.

 

*

When Guan Shan arrived at home, his mother was asleep. He stored the stolen food in the cupboard and tidied up the kitchen. Several bowls and dried herbs were lying on the table, and fresh herbs were hanging from the ceiling. Since he could not buy medicine for his mother, he was making it himself by collecting herbs from the forest and processing them into the medicine. While collecting the herbs he had seen the procession to the temple and had contemplated for a while, after a week of suffering from hunger and worries for his mother, he had finally decided.  
There was a weak cough and he turned around. His mother was trying to sit up.

“Mum, go back to sleep”, Guan Shan said and hurried over to her bed. “Why are you back so late? Where have you been?” she asked. He looked down.

“I – I got more herbs for you”, he lied. He felt her small hand under his chin, she lifted his face and smiled at him. 

“You’re such a good boy”, she said and laid her head back into the pillow.

It broke his heart but he did not say anything. That night he did not sleep well, it felt like the guilt of his crime was sitting on his body. It spread through his body like poison and by morning his head and limbs were hurting terribly, as if someone had stretched them and stomped onto his body.  
With a groan he rolled out of bed and – landed softly, almost without a sound on his feet. His head was hurting so much, he pressed his fingers against his temples. Something felt strange, in between his hair there was something firm. 

“No”, he whispered in panic. “I’m still dreaming”. 

He stumbled into the bathroom and stared into the mirror, waiting to see that all had been imagination. But there it was, his reflection showing two pointed cat ears between his own red hair and when he turned, he saw a long brown-red tail. He had not wanted to go out, he needed to hide, for this transformation was surely the punishment by the gods and would out him as the thief.  
But when he went out, huddled up in a long coat to get fresh water, he dropped the bucket in surprise. The entire village was up and talking agitated in the middle of the village plaza, it seemed like everyone had turned into half-animals over night. But the relief of not being the only one transformed, quickly faded as he caught their words.

\- “Someone must have done something to anger the gods”.  
\- “They have broken the gods’ spells to protect the village”.  
\- “We need to find that person”.

Mo Guan Shan felt sweat trickling down his back as he walked backwards, right into someone.

“Hey, watch out. Oh, it’s you”, Jian Yi eyed Mo Guan Shan curiously.

“I always thought you’d be a cat if you were an animal”, he continued.

“What?” Guan Shan asked distracted. 

“Someone stole from the offerings to the gods!” a voice called. 

A young man was rushing to the village plaza where everyone had assembled. Mo Guan Shan and Jian Yi were standing to the far back near a house. Guan Shan tried to take deep breaths but it was hard to control his shaking breath. Jian Yi looked at him. “Are you ok? Are you sick?” he asked. 

“What was stolen?” the priest asked. “Food. Fruits and rice”, the man gasped out of breath.

“Well, that makes it easier. We are looking for someone who would is desperate enough to steal to fill their empty belly”, another man said. 

The eyes of the villagers immediately fell upon the few of them who were so poor they could hardly afford anything. There were three families and Mo Guan Shan. But the first family, consisted of a blind man and his frail wife who had a baby girl and it seemed unlikely that she would have walked out into the dark forest to steal food alone. The second family was the man who once had built half the village but had injured his leg and arm during an accident and since could no longer work, but neither could he have walked into the forest and carried back the food. His wife was pregnant and the villagers thought it rather unlikely that she could have done it. The third family was more likely, the father was a drunkard who was famous for getting aggressive when he drank too much and was generally avoided by everyone. His wife had an ashen fearful face and stood trembling next to him. 

“I bet this stupid woman stole it”, he shouted. His wife winced. 

“Did you? DID YOU? IT’S YOUR FAULT WE’RE ALL DAMN HALF-ANIMALS, EH?” he shouted and pushed her to the hard ground. She curled up, sobbing into her shawl. 

The villagers watched uncomfortable but not doing anything. 

“Give it back. Bring it back to the temple, you stupid woman. Apologise to the gods. Maybe we should just give you to them, give them a proper sacrifice to make up for it!” he called. Now some of the villagers moved and exchanged shocked gazes.

“We don’t do human sacrifices”, the priest said calmly. “But you will have to return the food and offer your apologies and find out how to restore the gods’ favour”, the priest continued to the sobbing woman lying on the ground.

“Did you hear what he said?” the man bellowed at his wife. She continued to cry.

“I didn’t steal it”, she sobbed finally. “LIAR!” he shouted and started to kick her. 

Several people turned away their heads but let it happen. Mo Guan Shan was shaking, he could not avert his eyes. It was his fault. And her sobbing sounded all too familiar… a woman crying, begging him to stop, things breaking, furniture, glass and bones. Tears dripped from his eyes.

“It wasn’t her”, a soft voice said. The man stopped beating his wife and looked up. “Eh, what did you say, bastard?” he asked.

Guan Shan was leaning against the house wall, shaking.  
A young man with silver white hair had stepped forward. “It wasn’t her. I know who did it. I saw it”, he said gently.  
It was quiet, no one dared to speak and everyone was holding their breaths. She Li was feared by children, teens and adults alike. He had once been accused of being a demon by another boy, Guan Shan had not seen the boy ever again. But he had heard that since then everyone had let She Li alone and no one spoke up against him anymore. 

“Well”, the priest said. “Who did it?”

She Li turned his head and there was a broad smile on his face, it sent shivers down Guan Shan’s spine. He didn’t know what demons looked like but to him, She Li looked exactly like one. 

“Him”, She Li said. And Guan Shan froze, when She Li looked directly at him. The villagers all turned around and stared at him. 

“Of course, that Mo Guan Shan boy”, a woman said disapprovingly. There was murmur among the villagers, dirty looks were thrown at him.

“Where is the food?” the priest asked. Guan Shan’s knees were shaking as the priest walked up to him.

*

He Tian was growling and kicked at a stone, it burst and little pebbles rained onto the stony ground, hopping and dancing with a low clattering away.

“Well, of course. You overestimated yourself, Tian”.

“Shut up”, Tian hissed at his older brother who was polishing his weapon. 

“You can still fix it and at your next test, you will succeed”, Tian’s brother said, but he sounded rather uninterested.

He Tian threw him a cold look. “How am I supposed to fix this then?” he asked surly. His brother let him wait for a bit until he answered. He calmly kept polishing his weapon.

“Well, you need to either lift the curse of the village and start over again, or you turn them into animals entirely which should be easy now as they are all already half animals”, his brother said. 

“I don’t do half-assed stuff. I won’t take a short cut with them being already half-animals”, Tian grunted. 

His brother finally looked up from his weapon. “Or you could fix the mistake and make up for it with another curse in one-go”, he said. Tian looked at him, now interested.

“What kind of curse are you talking about?” Tian asked.

His brother picked up the weapon which made a high, crystal clear sharp sound of metal scratching against stone. The sharp silver gleamed in the flames.

“You lift the curse and put it onto one of the villagers”, he said. Tian pulled a grimace. “That’s not impressive, cursing one single human. How boring. Especially just turning him into an animal”. His brother looked at him over the edge of his weapon.

“I didn’t say turn him into an animal, I said put the entire curse of the village into one body”, his brother said. “Where is the difference?” Tian asked. 

“Transferring a curse is impressive”, his brother said with a sigh. “And placing it in exactly one person, even more”. 

Tian hummed. “I guess, I will need a human from the village then”. His brother grabbed his arm. “Choose well”, he said sharply. Tian frowned.

“Choose the human least loved. A lonely soul is easy to capture”.

*

Guan Shan’s knees were hurting, he was shaking from the cold and his arms were aching from being bond to his back. He was kneeling in front of the temple for hours now, the sun had set already. It was dark, three men, apprentices of the priest were standing in a half circle around him with candles. They had been praying and singing to the gods for hours now but there had been to response, no answer on how to make up for the crime, his crime. Guan Shan had returned the stolen food but one apple. He had eaten it on his way back home after stealing the food. It was impossible to return.  
A sudden gust of wind blew out the candles and Guan Shan rose his head. The apprentices who had stopped singing, quickly picked up their singing. Was this the response of the gods?  
Guan Shan felt sick. What punishment would they put on him?  
The night had turned so dark, it was impossible to see. He could only hear his own breath, quick and stressed. There was a thunder and a soft wind, then steps over grass. Guan Shan heard a gasp.

“What do we have here?” a voice asked. Guan Shan imagined the owner of the voice to be grinning because that’s what he sounded like. “A criminal, offered to the gods?” the voice asked now softly. There was a choking sound. 

“H-He stole from the gods, we will do everything to restore the gods’ favours”, one of the apprentices choked out. And then a low thud followed.

“How stupid”. 

Guan Shan felt how he was pulled onto his feet. “Criminal”. The voice was directly at his ear, and the ice cold breath tickled his neck, Guan Shan froze. He could feel a strong arm wrap around his waist. “You’re the one, the thief?” the voice whispered. Guan Shan’s breath hitched.

“I think I’ll choose you”. Guan Shan felt how he was lifted off the ground. “Choose me?” he asked, finally finding his voice again.

“Yes, I’ll take you with me”, the voice said. And with a sudden movement, he was moving straight upwards that he could only explain it by the fact that he must be flying. 

When they broke through the trees and a wide night sky opened up over their heads and moon and star light brightened up Guan Shan’s vision, he saw that he was indeed flying. His naked feet hanging in the cool night air, he was only being hold by a young man or boy. He seemed to be the same age as him. His hair was of the darkest black and his eyes were the same colour. When the boy grinned, Guan Shan saw fangs glinting in the moonlight. And dark feathery wings were sprouting from the boy’s back keeping them in the air. 

“You’re a demon”, Guan Shan gasped. “Damn right”, the boy said and leaned forward. Guan Shan screamed. He thought they would fall but the boy dropped a few meters and flew over the top of the trees until a sparkling body of water came into view. The river.

“Where are you taking me?” Guan Shan gasped. 

“Beautiful”, the demon murmured. Guan Shan stared at him. “What?”

“The river, the moonlight on the river”, the demon said. Guan Shan frowned. “I – huh?” 

He looked down and it was indeed beautiful. The river flowed in soft curves through the dark land like a silver snake, glittering and sparkling. Guan Shan tried to shift. 

“Stop moving or I let you drop”, the demon said. Guan Shan froze. 

After what seemed an hours-long flight, they finally landed on a small island in the middle of the river. “We’ll take a break here”, the demon said.

“What? Can you not teleport or something?” Guan Shan asked. The demon glared at him. “Shut up or I will devour you right away”, the demon growled. Guan Shan stared at him, crawling backwards.

The demon followed him, he was way quicker, grabbing him by the shoulders and pressing him into the sandy grass. “Yeah, I will hold you down like this and then sink my teeth right into you – where would I start? Maybe your chest?” the demon asked in a playful voice. 

His hands wandered from Guan Shan’s shoulders to his chest. The demon hummed while stroking Guan Shan’s chest. Guan Shan was shivering and could no longer hold back, he threw the demon’s hands off. “Stop it!” he shouted. “Oh really, now?” the demon asked and grabbed Guan Shan again by the shoulders and slammed him back into the ground.  
For a moment their eyes met and the moonlight reflected in the demon’s eyes. Guan Shan felt a sudden rush as if he had been thrown forward into a whirlwind. And strange pictures of a young child laughing, a dog barking and jumping around the boy and an older boy picking him up filled Guan Shan’s mind. Then as suddenly as it happened it was gone. Guan Shan gasped and inched backwards once more. The demon looked startled. 

“You – you were human once”, Guan Shan burst out. The demon glared at him. 

“All demons were once humans”, he hissed and then turned around. His wings hit Guan Shan hard against the head. Guan Shan groaned dizzily and watched the demon lay down on the grass, folding his wings over himself to keep himself warm.  
The demon fell asleep and Guan Shan sat there freezing in the cool night air, looking around for ways to escape but the river was too deep and fast for him to swim across it to the other side. He still didn’t know what the demon wanted from him or why he had took him with him.  
The demon had only rested for an hour before he arose and grabbed Guan Shan wordlessly and rose back into the air. He brought them into a cave in a mountain where it was so dark that Guan Shan had the feeling of being blind. Here the demon lay down again and slept through the entire day until the sun set. Guan Shan had quietly crawled out of the cave to the opening, he had sat there and watched the scenery unfold before him. There was a wide meadow and lush green trees, birds rising into the air, fish jumping out of the river and falling back. He was so high up on the mountain, it would have been impossible to climb down. But the view was so wonderful that Guan Shan forgot for a while that he was the hostage of a demon for an unknown reason – and cursed.

Cursed… he turned around, staring into the darkness of the cave. Could it be… could it be the demon, that very demon who had cursed him and the entire village? But for what reason then had he kidnapped only Guan Shan and where was he taking him?


	2. Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all for the nice feedback, I wasn't sure whether anyone would be interested in this story. I hope you will enjoy this chapter! Fingers crossed for a soon update by Old Xian!

The flames were flickering slightly, dimmed and barely bringing light into the room. He Cheng, the older brother of He Tian, straightened his shoulders. He had heard the dark shadow behind him. But he did not turn around, his hand was resting on the long silver weapon before him.

 “Why did you send your brother out for this foolish task?” a deep voice that echoed back from the stone walls came from the shadowy figure.

 “You were disappointed that he failed his first test. I only gave him a little hint on how to redeem himself”, He Cheng said.

 “He will make a greater fool of himself”, the harsh voice said. He Cheng finally turned around and looked at the figure. It was a tall man, wrapped in a big black cloak that hid his body and cast a shadow over his face.

 “You have no trust in his powers”, He Cheng said coolly.

 “It is not his powers I doubt but his determination. He is my son after all, his powers are only awakening”, the cloaked man said. He Cheng’s hand tensed up.

 “He is very determined”, He Cheng said.

 “He is overly confident but when it comes down to actually perform the act, he will hesitate. When it comes to killing a human, he lacks the strength that you always had”, his father said quietly. He Cheng looked at his father with furrowed eyebrows.

 “You did not tell him that his curse will kill the human, did you?” his father said, reading his eldest son’s expression.

 “I told him he would place an entire village’s curse on one human, he should have understood what that would do to a single human soul”, He Cheng said quietly.

His father said nothing and only the cracking of the flames filled the room.

 

*

On the entrance of a cave, Mo Guan Shan awoke with a start. His eyes flew open and he looked around. His body was aching from the awkward position he had slept in, leaning against hard stone. He flinched when he noticed that the demon boy had been watching him.

 “You watched me sleep?” he asked. “Stop staring, you’re creeping me out”. The demon grinned.

 “I’m a demon. What did you expect?” Guan Shan grunted and rubbed his aching shoulders.

 “Time to go”, the demon said.

 “You still haven’t told me where we’re going”, Guan Shan complained.

 “Get up”, the demon demanded, ignoring his question. Guan Shan got up.

 “First you tell me where we are going”, he demanded and back away from the demon. The demon looked at him and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

 “You think, I would bow to your requests, little kitten?” the demon asked.

Guan Shan felt heat rising into his face. He could hardly feel the cat ears the curse had put on him but the cat tail that was softly swaying behind him was something he felt constantly.

 “You put that stupid curse on me!” Guan Shan called.

 “Maybe”, the demon said.

 “What kind of ridiculous dumb curse was that supposed to be?” Guan Shan called. The demon was no longer grinning.

 “Turning people into half-animals? What is the purpose of that?”

The demon’s black eyes pierced through Guan Shan and he immediately stopped talking.

 “You wanted to know where we are going?” the demon asked coldly. “I’ll tell you: down”, he said and pushed Guan Shan hard with a push against his chest.

Guan Shan’s eyes widened as he stumbled backwards, he had not realised that he had stood right at the edge of the cliff where the cave was located. The wind howled in his ears and bit at his skin. He couldn’t even breathe and then just when he closed his tearing eyes, he stopped. But there was no crash, the wind was still howling – he was just hanging in mid-air. He opened his eyes. The demon had caught him, his large wings beating up and down, holding them in the air. With his dark hair and black wings he could have been one of the storm clouds above them. Guan Shan stared at him in surprise.

 “Why would you catch me? Why not kill me? Why did you kidnap me in the first place?” he shouted angrily and confused. The demon’s grip tightened and he landed, letting Guan Shan drop down onto his butt.

 “I will lift the curse of your village”, the demon said. Guan Shan blinked. That was not what he had expected.

 “You – you will lift the curse?” he asked sceptically. The demon squatted down in front of him.

 “That’s right. Even though you look very cute with those ears”, he said. Guan Shan shivered.

 “Stop saying weird stuff like that”, he muttered.

 “I say whatever I want to say”, the demon said and grabbed Guan Shan’s chin and made him look up.

Just as their eyes met, the icy cold fingers of the demon still on his face, it happened again. A child’s voice echoed in Guan Shan’s head, it was laughing and calling out to a tall young man. A dog barked. Guan Shan was thrown backwards so hard that all air was punched out of his lungs. He gasped and coughed. The demon was on top of him and punched him.

 “Stop doing that! Who are you? Are you a demon? Is this a prank, one of my brother’s tricks? Is this all his plan?” he shouted.

Guan Shan stared at the demon. He looked terrifying, his eyes entirely black, burning with so much hatred and anger, it seemed to radiate heat. The black wings were spread out behind him, making him look bigger. Guan Shan could not speak and only gasped for air. The demon was breathing heavy, growling.

 “Your brother? The one with the dog?” Guan Shan asked when he finally could breathe again. The demon glared at him. “Are those your human memories?” Guan Shan asked.

 “He killed the dog, he said he killed the dog”, the demon said, his voice still more growl than words. Guan Shan took a shaky breath.

 “But he tricked me. He hid the dog among the humans”, the demon whispered. “And he will not trick me again”, he hissed and grabbed Guan Shan’s chin so harsh that it felt as if he was trying to crush it.

Guan Shan could not even back away when the demon leaned forward and brought his lips onto Guan Shan’s. A choked scream came from Guan Shan’s mouth when the demon bit Guan Shan’s lip. He let go of Guan Shan and stood up. Guan Shan back away quickly, whimpering and touching his bleeding lip. The demon licked his own lip and made a strange sound.

 “Definitely human blood”, he murmured then. Guan Shan wiped his mouth and stared at the demon standing a few steps away.

 “You tried turning everyone into animals just to find your dog again?” he asked.

The demon turned around so abruptly that Guan Shan winced. He closed his eyes and tensed up but the demon did not hit him, there was a cracking sound next to Guan Shan’s head and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that the demon had hit the rock next to Guan Shan. It had cracked and burst into thousand pieces.

They flew in silence that night and when they stopped at another mountain cave so high up in the sky that the air froze and Guan Shan’s lips cracked and bled, he thought he would simply freeze to death. But a small fire lit up and flames seemingly burning on the very stony ground danced around Guan Shan. The demon said nothing and laid down next to the flames and Guan Shan inched close to the flames, as close as he dared without getting burnt and still keeping enough space between himself and the demon.

 

*

Guan Shan had tried to adapt to the demon’s sleeping schedule, sleeping at day and waking at night. But it was difficult, he was incredibly tired when the demon awoke the next night to continue their journey. The demon made the flames disappear and looked at Guan Shan.

 “What is your name?” he asked. Surprised Guan Shan looked up.

 “What does that matter to you?” he asked exhausted.

 “Answer or I’ll let you drop again”, the demon threatened.

 “Mo Guan Shan”, he answered grumpily. The demon hummed.

 “Get up, Mo Guan Shan”. He obeyed this time and let the demon wrap one arm around his waist, spread his wings with a soft whoosh and lift the two into the air.

 “How long will it take to get there?” Guan Shan asked tiredly.

 “A few more nights”, the demon answered.

 “How did you get to our village so quickly after you placed the curse, or were you already close?” Guan Shan asked.

 “No, I just didn’t have to carry a noisy human with me”, the demon said.

Guan Shan forgot that he was high up in the air and finally found good use for his cat tail and punched the demon with his tail. The demon turned his head.

 “I – I didn’t mean to –“, Guan Shan gulped nervously.

 “Once we’re on the ground I’m going to twist your –“, the demon growled and with his other hand he grabbed Guan Shan’s arm that he held up in a weak defence.

Guan Shan looked up into the dark eyes and screamed. They were falling, both of them but the screaming didn’t stop, the demon’s hand seemed like glued to Guan Shan’s arm. The scream which was no longer his own filled Guan Shan’s head, every fibre of his body was filled with the screaming. Then with a searing pain the demon pulled his hand away and Guan Shan fell, he saw the demon spreading his wings again, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the same scream in his head. Then he leaned forward and dived to catch Guan Shan last second. He put him down onto the grass and seemed as exhausted as Guan Shan felt. His face was pale and shocked. They sat at the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere in silence until the sun rose. The demon turned his head when the first sun rays lit up the sky and slowly crept over the damp grass.

 “Your hair… looks like it is on fire”, he said. His voice was hoarse but there was a mischievous laughter in it. Guan Shan glared at him for making fun of his red hair.

 “The sun is up, isn’t that – bad for you?” Guan Shan asked then as the sun quickly rose higher. The tops of the trees were glowing in a golden red. The demon didn’t react.

 “Hey – you – demon”, Guan Shan said and nudged him with his foot.

The demon was sinking slowly to the grassy ground. Guan Shan slowly crawled closer and tapped his shoulder and saw that the demon had fallen asleep. It was stupid, he was sitting here next to the demon, as if he was keeping watch. Instead he should be running away, getting as much distance as possible between himself and the demon. But something was stopping him. He wondered whether the demon had seen the same scenes Guan Shan had seen. It seemed to happen whenever they were touching and looking into the other’s eyes. But when they had been flying, it had been different. He had not seen the small scene from the demon’s past. He was sure that the scenes were memories from the demon’s human childhood. The sun was shining down on them now, warming Guan Shan’s freezing shoulders. There was a sizzling sound and Guan Shan gasped. The demon’s wings were slowly dissolving under the sunlight.

 “Oh, no, no…”, he whispered and jumped to his feet. “Hey, hey… wake up. Your wings! Hey! Wake up!” he shouted and shook the demon’s shoulders and stood over him to shield him from the sunlight but the wings continued to disappear.

With an annoyed groan he grabbed the demon’s arms and dragged him over to the forest into the shade. Sweat was rolling down his temples and back as he pulled and dragged the demon. Exhausted he stumbled over the demon’s legs and just stayed on the ground next to him.

 “Why am I even helping a bastard like you?” he grunted.

 

Guan Shan must have fallen asleep because when he awoke, he was buried under something heavy and the sun was just setting. With a groan he tried to shake the heavy thing off. The heavy thing was alive and – turned out to be the demon.

 “Get off me”, Guan Shan hissed and managed to push the demon down.

 “Don’t push me or I’ll get mad”, the demon said quietly.

Guan Shan flinched. He had not expected the demon to be awake. He slowly turned his head. The demon’s eyes were only half open and he looked exhausted.

 “Really? What would you do in that state?” Guan Shan asked mockingly. Then he screamed.

 “Stop, stop, stop. Let go”, he cried as the demon had grabbed his tail. His eyes were tearing when the demon finally let go.

 “Now, be a good kitty and sit down”, the demon said.

 “Don’t call me kitty”, Guan Shan hissed.

 “Or what?” the demon asked. An idea came to Guan Shan’s mind.

 “Don’t think I could not do something against you”, he said sharply.

 “Oh, can you?” the demon scoffed.

Guan Shan grabbed the demon’s arms and looked him directly into the dark eyes.

 “What exactly is that supposed to do?” the demon asked. Guan Shan lifted one hand.

 “Look at me”, he demanded and grabbed the demon’s face.

 

It was warm all of a sudden, the sun was shining and birds were tweeting, a gentle breeze made the leaves of the trees rustle. A dog was barking.

 “He Tian! Tian!” a voice called. “What are you doing? I told you not to go into the river, it is dangerous!”

A young boy dripping wet accompanied by a dog just as wet was standing there and a tall young man came rushing towards him.

 “Are you mad?” the little boy asked. The tall man picked the boy up and held him tightly.

“No”, he said.

 

Guan Shan let go off the demon’s arm and face. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

 “He Tian – was that your name?” Guan Shan asked.

 “It is my name”, the demon said after a moment. Then he looked away.

 “How did you turn into a demon?” Guan Shan asked. The question had burst from his mouth before he could had properly thought about it.

 “I died”, He Tian said plainly.

 “Not all humans turn into demons when they die, do they?” he asked.

 “No”, the demon answered, still looking the other way.

 "But you're here - I mean... you're not really dead, are you?" Guan Shan asked, now full of curiosity.

A frown appeared on the demon's forehead. "Not really...", he murmured.

 “You wanted to become a demon?” Guan Shan asked.

 “Why would anyone want to have their soul ripped out?” He Tian asked and turned to look at Guan Shan again.

Guan Shan opened his mouth but did not know an answer to that. But he thought he finally knew what the screaming had meant. He Tian’s last and probably only memory of his human life and the last bit of soul he had was screaming in agony. And Mo Guan Shan had somehow heard it.

 

Guan Shan could tell that they were getting closer to wherever they were going. Simply by the changing landscape. It was getting rougher and darker by every metre. First the animals disappeared then the grass and then the trees were more leafless skeletons. Soon there were only jagged, rough rocks and mountains around them and the sun seemed to no longer shine. But He Tian did no longer summon the flames to keep themselves warm when they slept. It would only draw unwanted attention, he said.

On their first day in the unfriendly rocky landscape, Guan Shan had scraped and bruised his entire body trying to sleep on the ground. He was so cold when they rose to continue their journey that he could hardly move. The next time they took a break, he did not even have the strength to move away when He Tian sat close to him.

 “Look at me”, He Tian whispered.

But it was not the usual demand. Guan Shan looked up confused and flinched when He Tian placed his hand onto Guan Shan’s cheek. And the two were sucked back into the illusion memory of a sunny day. But when the illusion faded, He Tian’s hand tensed up against Guan Shan’s face and his forehead sunk against Guan Shan’s shoulder. A strange feeling filled Guan Shan. Just a few days ago he would have pushed the boy away, disgusted by the demon, angry and exhausted.

 “You’re cold”, He Tian said muffled into Guan Shan’s shoulder.

 “Because I am, you idiot”, Guan Shan grunted.

He flinched when He Tian suddenly spread his wings and the gust of wind messed up Guan Shan’s hair. Then carefully the wings wrapped around them. His body was slowly warming up again although he felt very uncomfortable in the tight embrace from He Tian by both his arms and the wings. Soon He Tian fell asleep, leaning against Guan Shan, his arms still around Guan Shan. Guan Shan however could not sleep, he watched the demon boy in his arms. For the first time in a very long time, Guan Shan did not feel lonely anymore.

 

He Tian opened his eyes and sat up. Guan Shan was fast asleep, they had both sunken to the ground, in a loose embrace. He Tian pulled his arms back and folded his wings on his back, the human boy took a deep breath and rolled to the other side but did not wake up. How could this boy carry the entire curse? It might seem like a nice little curse to turn humans into animals but a curse was a curse and at its base always evil. His soul would break if He Tian placed the entire curse onto Mo Guan Shan. He would die…

That’s why you had me chose the least loved and loneliest boy, He Tian thought. No one would mourn, it would be easy to kill someone who was unloved. His soul should have been easy to manipulate and capture. But Guan Shan had still put up a fight, had talked back and possessed the strange gift of seeing right into He Tian.

When a human was dying, he was offered the chance of evading death by being turned into a demon. The human's soul would be torn out and kept until the demon's death. But the demon was allowed to keep one memory, just one, of his human life. But as demons get older, their last memory would fade.

Somehow Guan Shan had brought it back, his touch and his eyes had brought He Tian's only memory back, more and more clearly each time. And with the memory, he had brought back the pain of losing his soul. When they had fallen from the sky, he had felt the entire pain again. It seemed that Guan Shan had felt it, too, and he had heard the echo of He Tian’s own scream. He shook his head. This was not an ordinary thing to happen, he had never heard of something like this. It should not be possible… but he needed to ask someone who was wiser, older. He spread his wings and with a strong beat of his wings he shot up in the air, now faster and freer without the human boy under his arm, but strangely light and empty.


	3. Memories

Guan Shan awoke from the sudden cold, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. His body was aching and new bruises and cuts from the rocky ground had been added to the old ones. He Tian, the demon boy, was gone.

 “He Tian?” he called and looked around, but there were only the jagged rocks and mountains.

 “Very funny… come out, you bastard!” he shouted.

He brushed the dirt of his clothes that were by now so dirty it hardly made any difference. And just then, it hit him like a punch into his stomach. He was terribly hungry and thirsty. For days he hadn’t eaten but somehow he had not felt any hunger or thirst. Had that been the work of He Tian? And now that he was gone, the spell was gone with him too? He felt so stupid. He was in the middle of nowhere, alone, freezing, hungry and thirsty. He could not even navigate in this field of rocks and stones. He had no wings to carry him across the broad canyons and rivers they had crossed. He was caught and trapped. Had that been He Tian’s plan? Was this some sacrifice? Was he offered to some other demon here in the mountains?

Just as this terrible thought had crossed his mind, thick fog wafted through the mountains and large rocks and soon he could barely see his own feet anymore. There was a sudden wind and Guan Shan squinted his eyes trying to see through the fog. And straight ahead from where he stood, on top of one of the rocks, stood a huge shadow. The fog thinned out and a woman came into view, at least she looked like a woman. She had long hair and wild facial features that resembled more the ones of an animal than a human. Her mouth was strangely wide and to Guan Shan’s terror, when she opened her mouth a little bit, a split-tongue slid out and back in.

 “Human”, a terrible voice whispered.

She opened her arms and two curved knives appeared.

 “Dinner”, she said.

But just as she walked towards Guan Shan, there was a deep sound like drums which turned out to be hooves and the demon woman was thrown to the side by a group of four male demons, one of them had hooves instead of feet. They grinned at Guan Shan. But he would not go without a fight, he had often fought with other boys at school. Guan Shan got to his feet and raised his fists. The demons laughed. They were faster than Guan Shan and soon he was thrown to a huge rock which knocked all the air out of his lungs and made him cough up blood. Another punch into his stomach made him feel sick and dizzy. Their laughter echoed in his head, the pain in his stomach felt as terrible as the one in his chest. Betrayal. He should not have expected anything from the demon boy.

Why had he even thought that they had gotten – what – closer? Was there any reason for He Tian to spare him after all? They had still continued the journey. Hooves, fists, something else was raining down on him hard until he could hardly breathe anymore. He could not move or defend himself. Then there was a strong wind and the demon punching him was thrown back.

 “Don’t touch him”.

Guan Shan opened his eyes when he was lifted into the air. He Tian was holding him up with one arm and blocked off another demon with one of his wings then he pushed off the ground and they shot up into the air faster than before.

 “It’s alright. I got you”, He Tian said. “Are you okay?”

Guan Shan groaned. “Fuck off, bastard”.

 “You’re okay then”, He Tian murmured into the howling wind.

 “Where were you?” Guan Shan asked when He Tian finally landed, they had left the rocky grounds and were back in a forest. But the jagged rocks and mountains were visible, still close, too close for Guan Shan’s taste.

 “I needed to check something”, He Tian said, pulling up Guan Shan’s shirt unceremoniously.

 “Hey!” Guan Shan shouted and coughed.

 “Be quiet”, He Tian said sharply looking at the bruise forming.

 “What?” Guan Shan asked nervously.

 “Each demon has their own specific weapon, the demon who punched you wore gloves. Maybe they carry a curse, you could have been infected with something”, He Tian said.

 “Infe- WHAT?” Guan Shan shouted.

 “Shut up!” He Tian growled and covered Guan Shan’s mouth.

 “Then undo it, remove it”, Guan Shan demanded, muffled through He Tian’s hand. He Tian put a finger onto the bruise and Guan Shan winced and moaned in pain.

 “What are you doing?” he groaned as He Tian pressed his entire hand onto the bruise.

 “Well I could rip this part out and –“

 -“You won’t rip out anything!” Guan Shan interrupted him.

 “It’s poison, maybe I’ll suck it out”, He Tian suggested.

 “Suck it out?” Guan Shan asked in a higher voice. “We’re not going to – how exactly -?” he started. He Tian leaned over him.

 “It’s not the first time”, He Tian said quietly and the tips of their noses brushed against each other.

Guan Shan felt cold sweat running down his spine. Was that the poison or the prospect of He Tian’s methods of ridding him of the poison? Then He Tian grinned.

 “You should see your face, scaredy-cat”, He Tian whispered. Guan Shan took a sharp intake of air.

 “You – you tricked me?” He pushed He Tian hard and punched every inch he could get. “You bastard!”

He Tian was laughing while Guan Shan tried to climb on top of him and punch him. But He Tian caught his fists and looked up at him and once more Guan Shan was sucked into the sunny memory.

 “You’re welcome”, said He Tian once the two returned to reality.

 “What for?” Guan Shan asked breathlessly.

 “For saving you”, He Tian said with a smile.

 “It wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t left me there alone!” Guan Shan snarled. The smile disappeared very fast from He Tian’s lips.

 “Yeah, maybe”, he said.

 “Maybe?” Guan Shan asked pointed. “Are you kidding me?”

He Tian looked at him. “Where do you think we are going to then?” he asked. Guan Shan averted his eyes.

 “You thought they would leave you alone if I brought you there in my company? And then?” He Tian asked. Guan Shan turned around abruptly and shoved He Tian harshly.

 “What is it then? What? What do you want from me? You appear out of nowhere and take me with you without saying what is going on! And then you leave me alone for other demons to have a go at me! What do you plan to do once we get wherever it is? Are you going to use me for some stupid other curse?” Guan Shan shouted angrily, tears falling from his eyes. He Tian stared at him.

 “Yeah”.

Guan Shan flinched back. “What?”

 “That – that’s what I had intended to do”, He Tian said. Guan Shan stared back at him.

 “Why are you so surprised? Don’t – look at me like that. Why are you hurt?” He Tian asked roughly.

 “You – you said you had intended to do that. Now not anymore?” Guan Shan asked instead. He Tian raised his chin and gave him a strange look.

 “What does it matter? Humans cling so desperately to their life no matter how miserable it is”, He Tian said.

Guan Shan threw a punch at him and they both fell to the ground. He Tian had not seen the punch coming and Guan Shan used the advantage of surprise to land another punch.

 “It is true. Why are you mad? You’re life –“, He Tian called and rolled over, bringing Guan Shan underneath him, holding him down so harshly that Guan Shan’s arms were pressed deep into the soil. “- is miserable”. Guan Shan stared at him angrily, tears rolling from his eyes.

 “Your life is miserable”, Guan Shan said quietly. “Now get off me, demon”.

He Tian looked at him and Guan Shan was surprised to see real pain in the demon’s eyes but then the eyes darkened. Guan Shan gasped as he felt something cold sliding around his wrists. Liquid silver wrapped around his wrists like snakes and pulled his hands together, cuffing them in his front and then the silver hardened so suddenly and tightly that Guan Shan whined.

 “The next curse will sew your mouth shut”, He Tian said coldly.

He got up and dragged Guan Shan so roughly up that Guan Shan’s feet were dangling in the air. He Tian spread his wings and they rose into the cold air. Soon the jagged rocks and mountains and greyish landscape appeared underneath them once again.

 “Stop wincing”, He Tian hissed. “Most demons who live around here can’t fly”.

Guan Shan looked up at him but He Tian was looking straight ahead. A gigantic dark mountain was rising into a black starless sky. He Tian stopped, they were rising and dropping with every beat of his wings. Guan Shan followed He Tian’s eyes, before them the rocky grounds had changed to dark sand. But right where the mountain rose from the grounds the grounds opened up. It seemed to be gaping chasm as they flew closer, Guan Shan felt a chill. It was a darkness so deep and impenetrable, he was sure this must be the entrance to hell.

 “We – we’re going in there?” he asked nervously.

 “Are you scared, kitten?” He Tian asked. “Are you thinking now of apologising?” he added leaning close to Guan Shan’s face. Guan Shan shivered.

  “O-Ok, I’m sorry I said that”, he stuttered. He Tian laughed.

 “Alright, I won’t throw you”, he said and then dived.

Guan Shan screamed as He Tian dived right into the black abyss. He had not wanted to but he buried his face in He Tian’s chest. It was absolutely quiet and although he had expected it, it was eerie to not hear a heartbeat. They landed after a dive that had felt like falling for an hour. Guan Shan’s legs were shaking and he leaned against He Tian begrudgingly. He Tian had his arm still wrapped around Guan Shan’s waist, holding him close. Then he started moving forward and Guan Shan stumbled.

 “I – I cannot see”, Guan Shan whispered terrified.

 “Just walk straight”, He Tian said.

Guan Shan’s quick breath was echoing from walls he could not see, but it sounded like they were in a hall with a high ceiling. He Tian let go off his waist and gave him a slight shove between the shoulder blades.

 “He Tian?” Guan Shan asked, his voice trembling. He didn’t dare to go ahead but it felt like He Tian had disappeared from behind him. After the evil intentions of the demon had been revealed he had not particularly liked the company of He Tian anymore but being without him was even more terrifying.

 “He Tian..?” he whispered. “Are you still there?”

He turned around and He Tian’s face appeared in the weak light of flames that hung in mid-air. Both boys gasped as their faces were suddenly so close that the tips of their noses brushed each other. Guan Shan jumped back and tried to raise his hand but his hands were still cuffed together painfully and so he just bumped his arms against He Tian’s hips. He Tian made another step forward and their faces were brought close to another once again. Shadows were dancing over He Tian’s face.

 “Your hair looks like it is on fire”, He Tian said and Guan Shan remembered when He Tian had said it as the sun had shone on his red hair. It felt as if it had happened years ago. He Tian reached out his hand.

 “Just a moment. One last time”, he said and put it on Guan Shan’s cheek without breaking their eye contact.

 

Sunlight fell on them and grass sprouted around them, trees appeared and a gentle breeze tousled their hair. It was warm and peaceful. The memory slowly faded again and with the last rays of sun Guan Shan saw He Tian’s face clearly. He was still looking at Guan Shan, his cold fingers resting gently against Guan Shan’s face.

 “It’s not coming back”, Guan Shan when He Tian did not remove his hand and didn’t avert his eyes from Guan Shan’s.

 “Yeah, I know”, He Tian said. He was so close that his face was blurry. Then He Tian pulled back his hand and stepped back. “Time to go”.

They walked in the dim light of the flames for a while until suddenly more flames lit up a narrow path. Guan Shan took a nervous breath as he felt a light push between his shoulder blades. The path was declining and soon the path turned into stairs. Lower and lower. The stairs ended in a hall that looked like a cathedral. Flames burning on the very ground were the only source of light, shining on a crowd of at least thirty demons. Winged like He Tian, or cloaked, some hardly more than shadow, small and tall, glowing red eyes as well as yellow eyes or eyes so dark he could not see them. A man who was carrying a silver axe that was as big as himself stepped forward. Although it was dark and his face was sunken in, Guan Shan recognised him. It was He Tian’s brother.

 “You have returned with a human. Are you ready for your test?” he asked.

Test? Guan Shan dared a side glance at He Tian. He Tian was being tested and for some reason he needed a human for the test and He Tian had picked him. There was a quiet chuckle, had it not been for the cursed cat ears, Guan Shan would probably not have heard it. But now his attention drawn, he looked around for the one who had chuckled. But it could have been anyone, they all had the same disdainful looks on their faces. Guan Shan tried hard not to tremble and keep posture but his nervous twitching cat tail gave him away. He didn’t know what kind of test it would be. He shortly looked at He Tian once more and then he realised it. The other demons’ chuckling and condescending looks were not directed at the human among them but at He Tian. If he had to guess, he would say that He Tian’s test was to prove his worthiness. Guan Shan thought about what He Tian had said. It had been his intention to use Guan Shan but it had sounded as if he had changed his mind. But now it seemed that he was quite determined to prove the other demons his worth.

 “I’ll lift the curse of the village and I will place the accumulated force on this human soul”, He Tian said.

His voice echoed through the room. Guan Shan froze. There was a short blast of wind and more flames appeared in a circle around him and He Tian. He Tian shoved him forward and Guan Shan fell to his knees. The flames melted into the ground and like liquid red colour seeped through the ground towards them. When the red colour reached them, an intense heat hit Guan Shan. He thought he heard He Tian’s voice and then an icy cold hand that seemed to pierce right through his body.

 

 

Guan Shan opened his eyes. Sunlight was pouring in. He was lying in his bed at home. He pushed the warm blanket off his body and slid down from the bed and jumped to the ground. He was a child again. And when he left the house, he saw that outside on the village plaza all the other kids were gathering. It was the first day of school, primary school. Among the familiar faces there was a young boy with jet-black hair and a little group of girls and boys had gathered around him. They were all talking with him, gazing at him with interest and admiration. But the boy was looking right at Guan Shan and as he walked towards the boy without knowing why, the other kids around the boy disappeared.

 “Play with me”, the boy said with a mischievous laughter.

He reached out his hand and Guan Shan took it, as soon as their hands touched, the boy had turned into a teen and so had Guan Shan. They hid behind a house because they were playing a prank on their teacher, other students were with them, they were giggling. And then the boy dragged Guan Shan away from the other students. They were in the forest and he touched Guan Shan’s hand and as he looked at him, the mischievous devilish grin had turned into a soft smile. He stepped closer and reached out his hands to place them on Guan Shan’s face. He was older now, his black hair hanging into his dark eyes. He held Guan Shan’s face gently and said something that couldn’t reach Guan Shan’s ears. It was warm, so warm. He leaned down and their lips met. With a gasp Guan Shan leaned forward when the lips disappeared to bring them back but as he opened his eyes the young man had a look of surprise in his eyes, blood rolling over his forehead from his head. With a sudden jerk, it seemed like the ground had been moved underneath their feet, Guan Shan felt a strong pull backwards. And the young man turned into a teen, the blood still dripping from his forehead. The young man fell down so suddenly like a puppet which strings had been cut and when he hit the ground, he was just in the stage of a young boy turning into a teen. The mischievous grin still on his lips, the insult dripping like blood from his lips. Another tall young teenager stood over him, his hair silvery white. The rock in his hands dark from blood. He was breathing heavily and his back was turned to Guan Shan but he knew who this silvery haired boy was.

 “Demon… you look like a demon”. The childish voice of the dying boy seemed to still hang in the air.

 

Guan Shan opened his eyes and the scene had disappeared. He was lying on a cold and hard surface. The light of flames burning on the ground shone onto a face, he had just seen in a dream or memory or maybe it had been both. The boy with the jet-black hair. From the look in He Tian’s eyes, he must have seen the same dream or vision. Guan Shan opened his mouth.

 “He Tian?” 

There was a blast that blew out the flames and the smoke of the fire gathered quickly into a ball that exploded and Guan Shan was pulled off his feet. Something pulled him up into the air, someone was holding him tightly. There was eerie howling and angry voices echoing from everywhere. Then with the feeling of breaking through the surface of the ocean, they emerged from the chasm into clear air. He Tian was holding Guan Shan, pressed tightly onto his own body as they fled.

 “What’s going on? Were you – were you that boy? You saw it too, didn’t you?” Guan Shan called. “You were the boy in my village. You called She Li a demon and he – he killed you!”

He Tian didn’t say anything, he just flew faster than before. They had left the grey, rocky area of mountains behind them and he continued flying although the sun was rising.

 “We need to stop. He Tian, your wings! They will burn!” Guan Shan called. “Stop now, you idiot!” he shouted.

He Tian slowed down and they landed in the shade of a group of trees next to the river. He Tian looked at his wings, there were now several dark red burns on his black wings. Guan Shan ripped off a bit of his trousers and sat down at the river. In the clear water, he saw his distorted reflection. The cat ears were gone. He washed the piece of ripped clothing, then he returned to the demon boy and carefully dabbed the burns. He Tian hissed.

 “Hold still”, Guan Shan murmured.

He walked back to the river and put the cloth back into the clear water. He returned to He Tian once again and tended to his wounds. When he wanted to get up again, He Tian held him back. Guan Shan sat down next to He Tian.

 “Did you see that – vision?” Guan Shan asked. He Tian did not reply.

 “What was that? I don’t understand – what happened?” Guan Shan asked confused.

 “That’s why you could bring back my memories when we touched”, He Tian finally said.

 “Huh?” made Guan Shan and looked at He Tian.

 “When I touched your soul to place the curse on you, I – I was drawn into the last time that our souls touched”, He Tian said. Guan Shan frowned.

 “What?”

He Tian looked at him. “You saw it, you know what”, he said.

Guan Shan shook his head. “No, but if you were that boy. He was killed years ago. Why didn’t I recognise you? Why could I not remember you? And that – that – in the forest… never happened, it was like travelling into the future”, Guan Shan said, heat rising into his cheeks.

He Tian was still looking at him, he raised one hand, his palm facing Guan Shan.

 “Because it was”, he said.

Guan Shan opened his mouth in confusion. “I – don’t understand”. His eyes fell on He Tian’s hand.

 “We met as children and if I hadn’t died we would have become friends”, He Tian said.

 “Friends?” Guan Shan repeated and hesitated.

Then he, too, raised his hand and placed his palm against He Tian’s. He could not look at He Tian but he could feel him come closer.

 “You would have been my friend”, He Tian whispered. Guan Shan felt He Tian’s head sinking against his shoulder.

 “If I hadn’t died… I would have known…”, he murmured.

 “Known?” Guan Shan asked. “What do you mean?”

But He Tian had fallen asleep on Guan Shan’s shoulder. He watched He Tian sleeping and he dragged him every half an hour to keep him in the shade. And every now and then he looked up nervously to check whether He Tian’s demon brother or another demon was coming for them. But there was seemingly no demon who cared that He Tian had spared a human soul. If it was true what He Tian had said and it seemed the only explanation, then he would have had a friend. Guan Shan would have been He Tian’s friend and somehow this boy who had already been so devilish as a human would have held him and kissed him and would have become the one he would have fallen in love with. And even though he hadn’t been able to remember the boy, some part of his heart or maybe his soul had recognised He Tian and had tried desperately to remind the two of their past by bringing back He Tian’s only human memory. But neither of them had realised who they were and who they had been for one another. The sun was setting when Guan Shan leaned exhausted against He Tian and closed his heavy eyes.

 “Don’t worry”, he heard He Tian say. “No harm will come your way anymore. I won’t let anything happen to you”.

Guan Shan grunted half-asleep. “Really, I thought the only harm that came my way was you”, he muttered. He Tian laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story so far! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it. We've got about one more chapter to come. I'm currently working on the next chapter but if it gets too long, there will be an epilogue or another chapter!


	4. Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay, university has started again and the first week was... intense.  
> There is one smaller chapter left. I will try my best to get it up around Tuesday next week!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

He Tian sat leaning against the hard trees, Guan Shan between his legs and arms. He stared at the dark horizon without taking anything in. There was a reason demons weren’t allowed to remember their past lives.

 

[A few hours earlier]

He Tian did not look back when he left Guan Shan on the rocky grounds in the mountains. He had no time to think about it, he needed to find answers. And there was only one person who could possibly know what was going on. He rose high into the sky and flew across the grey landscape until dark mountains rose in front of him. He landed in a small gap in one of the mountains. It was hardly visible and someone who had not known about this entrance would not have even seen it.

He Tian had to lean forward to crawl into the mountain. A strong smell hit his nose. Then next the light of a big fire illuminated the path in front of him and a large room in this mountain cave. In the middle of the room was a large fireplace and above it hung a gigantic cauldron. The strong bitter smell came from the steaming cauldron. The ground was covered with leaves and herbs that added to the bitter smell.

 “He Tian”.

He stopped in front of the cauldron and turned around. Near the entrance stood a figure, bowed down from old age, it was hard to tell whether female or male, quite possible it was neither.

 “I need your advice”, He Tian said. The figure approached him slowly.

 “Yeah, I thought so. It has been long since I last saw you”, the figure said hoarsely. “The last time I saw you, you were a little boy, freshly born demon”.

He Tian looked emotionlessly at the figure.

 “A problem has arisen. Is it possibly connected to your failed demon test?” the figure asked. He Tian looked darkly at the figure. The figure waved its hand and He Tian followed the figure deeper into the cave. The sound of small waves rushing ashore was suddenly to be heard.

 “You wouldn’t be here if a curse went wrong”, the figure said with a slight chuckle in its voice.

 “No, you’re right. I met a human”, He Tian finally said. “Whenever we touch, he brings back the memory I kept”. The figure stopped and looked at He Tian.

 “How unusual”, the figure said.

 “How is that possible? Has it happened before?” He Tian asked, now impatient.

 “Yes, but it is very rare”, the figure said and pointed ahead. “See for yourself”, the figure continued.

Fire lit up in mid-air, the light illuminated a lake in the cave. The water was entirely black and despite nothing moving it, waves rushed back and forth.

 “Go in”, the figure said.

 “I thought I wasn’t allowed to see my memories”, He Tian said with a frown.

 “It won’t show you all your memories”, the figure said. “You know that demons cannot and should not get back their memories. You might go insane”. He Tian looked at the lake.

 “What is this then for?” he asked.

The figure said nothing and so He Tian walked ahead and stepped into the lake. The water was cold and as soon as he touched the water, it rippled and moved as if it had come to life upon his touch. The lights disappeared. There was the sound of a drum, steadily beating. No, not a drum. A heartbeat. The heartbeat of a human being.

 

 “You waver, child. What keeps you from going on?” a terrible voice asked.

 “My friend. I cannot die. He will die, too, if I don’t go back and save him!” a boyish voice called distraught.

 “She Li will kill him if he finds out that he saw us”, the boy called desperately.

 “You want to go back and kill that boy, She Li?” the terrible voice asked.

 “I need to save my friend. I have to!” the boy shouted. “He saw what She Li did”. The terrible voice let out a rattling breath.

 “I can offer you my help. You may save the other boy but what will you give me in return?” The boy took a shaky breath.

 “Anything. After that I can die, I don’t care!” The terrible voice laughed quietly.

 “So you won’t mind giving me your soul?” it asked.

 “Take it”, the boy called.

 “We have a deal then”, the terrible voice said.

And then suddenly there was light. A windy breeze that tasted of grass, birds tweeting and the hectic breath of someone. He Tian opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, blood was dripping into his eyes. He sat up and saw a boy with silvery hair holding a rock full of blood. He was breathing fast and looked terrified at He Tian. Behind She Li stood another young boy, his red hair stood out between the lush green bushes and trees. He was crying and looked scared.

 “You won’t touch him”, He Tian groaned and got up.

She Li stared at him as He Tian reached out his hands and grabbed the boy’s neck. His eyes fell on his own hands, they were black as if he had dipped his hands in black paint. And as he looked into She Li’s eyes he saw his own reflection in the boy’s eyes. Sharp teeth, black wings. Demon.

 “You’re the demon”, She Li gasped.

 “And you’re my first curse. If you do anything to Mo Guan Shan - if you hurt him, I will rip your throat out”, He Tian growled.

She Li fell to the ground and then hurriedly crawled away. Guan Shan was now hiding behind the bushes, shaking and trembling, trying to suppress his sobbing. He Tian looked at his hands, the black was fading.

 “You did not take his life?” the terrible voice echoed inside his head. “That’s one soul less for me… I’ll take the boy’s memories then as exchange”, the terrible voice said.

 “His memories? He won’t remember me?” He Tian called.

 “That doesn’t matter. You won’t remember him either”, the terrible voice laughed and everything went black again.

 

He Tian gasped and coughed as he emerged from the black lake. He stumbled the path back into the large room with the steaming cauldron where the figure stood and stirred.

 “You’re not going without payment, are you?” the figure asked. He Tian was shivering and breathing hard.

 “Here”, he said and held out his hand.

 “Where did you get that?” the figure asked greedily.

 “I took it from a human, of course”, he said.

The figure took the small phial with a dark liquid in it and greedily eyed it. While He Tian was already crawling out of the cave and spread his wings. He had turned into a demon for Mo Guan Shan, to save him and now he had to kill him. If he failed the test a second time, he would be banished from the mountain. They would come sooner or later to cut off his wings and he had not even have a weapon to defend himself when he was cast out to survive in the merciless rocky grounds, full of lower demons.

 

[Present]

Guan Shan groaned and shifted in He Tian’s arms. He Tian looked at him, he was almost the same age as he had been in the vision where they had sneaked off into the forest, where he would have hold his hands and his face and would have kissed him. He Tian rose a hand and hesitated, then he traced Guan Shan’s lips with his fingers. Then with another groan Guan Shan opened his eyes.

 “What are you doing?” he grunted and shoved He Tian’s hand away.

 “Thinking about revenge”, He Tian said. Guan Shan frowned.

 “You want to go back to your village, don’t you?” He Tian asked.

 “Of course. I need to check on my mother! If she isn’t dead yet… all because you had to kidnap me, she probably thinks I’m dead!” Guan Shan growled. He glared at He Tian but the glare slowly faded when he saw He Tian’s expression.

 “What is it?” Guan Shan asked.

 “You stole something from the temple? That was your crime?” He Tian asked. Guan Shan sat up properly.

 “Yeah, but I returned almost everything”, he said. “I needed the food. Actually, I could eat something now. I’m starving”, Guan Shan said. He Tian nodded.

 “They caught you?” he asked instead of reacting to what Guan Shan had said. Guan Shan shook his head.

 “No, that bastard She Li told them… he apparently saw me”. Guan Shan flinched when He Tian made a sudden movement.

 “He _saw you_?” He Tian asked pointedly. Guan Shan stared at He Tian.

 “Uh, I guess. They’re all scared of him so they believed him”, he murmured.

 “And because of him they cuffed you up and brought you to the temple”, He Tian said quietly. Guan Shan frowned. “Yeah”. He Tian nodded.

 “Let’s go back to the village. I swore something, time to keep my word”, He Tian said.

 “He Tian –“, Guan Shan started.

 “We’ll find something to eat for you on the way”, He Tian interrupted him. But when Guan Shan did not get up with him, He Tian turned around. Guan Shan looked confused.

 “You haven’t explained anything to me and you drag me off again”, he said. “What about the vision I saw? Why did you spare me?” Guan Shan blurted out.

 “Don’t look at me like that”, He Tian said when Guan Shan got up.

 “Excuse – what?” Guan Shan asked now getting angry. He Tian cupped Guan Shan’s face. Guan Shan flinched surprised.

 “Don’t you dare –“, Guan Shan said shaky when He Tian leaned in closer.

 “You’re not doing anything against it”, He Tian whispered. But then Guan Shan rose his hands and pressed them into He Tian’s chest to hold He Tian off.

 “Explain it, answer my questions first”, he demanded.

 “After I answer your questions, I get a kiss?” He Tian asked.

 “I didn’t say that, dickhead”, Guan Shan hissed and shoved He Tian away.

 “I spared you to save you”, He Tian said.

 “Why would you? I didn’t ask to be saved!” Guan Shan said grumpily.

 “Really? I wanted to”, He Tian said lightly with a smile.

 “What about the other demons? Aren’t we in trouble now?” Guan Shan asked.

 “Me, yes. But you, no. You won’t get any troubles, I promise”, He Tian said. Guan Shan looked away.

 “You saw the same vision I did?” Guan Shan asked.

 “How would I know? I don’t know what you saw”, He Tian asked. Then the smile turned into a grin. “But you said you saw the kiss”, He Tian said. Guan Shan’s cheeks flushed red.

 “Stop talking rubbish!” He turned away and his fingers drummed nervously against his own arm.

 “No more questions?” He Tian asked. Guan Shan bit his lip.

 “I – no, not now”, he murmured. “Let’s just go”, he urged him on.

 

He Tian opened his arms and pulled Guan Shan close. Then he spread his wings and they flew in silence. But long before the sun rose He Tian landed in a forest. He Tian told Guan Shan to stay behind while he disappeared silently between the trees and returned minutes later with a rabbit.

 “Food”, he said.

Guan Shan pressed his lips into a thin line. He Tian shrugged and prepared the dead rabbit while Guan Shan looked away. They grilled it over He Tian’s demon flames and Guan Shan almost ate the entire thing at once. He Tian also brought him water from a well, which he collected in a large leaf. Having finally eaten again, Guan Shan felt extremely sleepy despite his rising anxiety. What would await him back in the village? Was his mother still alive? And what kind of revenge had He Tian spoken about? He Tian had already fallen asleep in the shade of the trees, it seemed that he did not have a need to eat something. Guan Shan wrapped the leftovers in the huge leaf and sat down next to He Tian. The last few days had been full of worry about his own life, he had not thought that he would get out of this alive or that he would ever return to his village. But now, he was on his way back home. It was hard to believe that so little time had passed, it felt like years. He felt like a different person. He would return with a demon who had become his friend or something similar, with the knowledge of a lost future and the tiny fraction of hope it could still become true. He watched He Tian sleeping for a while and wondered what kind of troubles He Tian was in now that he had spared Guan Shan.

When the sun began to set, He Tian’s eyes opened and he saw to his surprise that Guan Shan was fast asleep on his chest. He Tian watched him until Guan Shan finally awoke, too.

 “Have you been watching me again, creep?” Guan Shan asked sleepily.

 “Yeah, it’s rare to see your face relaxed and peaceful. Normally you pull this grim grimace – like this”, He Tian said and imitated him. Guan Shan boxed him into the side. He Tian laughed.

 “You don’t want me to punch back, do you?” he whispered into Guan Shan’s neck. Guan Shan shivered. He Tian’s lips barely grazed his skin.

 “Idiot”, Guan Shan groaned and wriggled out of He Tian’s arms. They got up and picked up their journey back to the village. But it did not escape Guan Shan’s notice that He Tian looked around more as if he expected some other demons to turn up.

 “Are they following us?” Guan Shan asked once they landed again. He Tian shook his head.

 “But they should be. I failed the test two times, so they should come to cut off my wings and banish me”, He Tian said. Guan Shan froze.

 “Cut off your wings?” he called.

 “That turns me into a lower demon, I’ll be one of those whom you have seen in the rocky grounds”, He Tian said.

 “Is it even possible to outrun them then?” Guan Shan asked. He Tian shrugged.

 “Maybe”, he murmured. Guan Shan looked terrified, he had the strong feeling that there was no chance at all to outrun the other demons.

 “Don’t make such a face. I knew what I was getting into”, He Tian grunted.

 

*

Near the temple of the village something dark dived through the thick branches and leaves, letting them rain down as he landed. Large black wings folded on his back. He Cheng threw a short gaze at the large temple and walked past it towards a smaller gate. He reached out his hand right between the two large pillars of the gate. There was a strong vibration and it felt like he had hit a wall.

 “Hey, come out!” He Cheng called. When there was no reaction, he banged his fist against the pillar on his right.

 “Hey”, he shouted.

He reacted quickly and just blocked the figure jumping at him, appearing apparently out of thin air between the pillars.

 “There you are”, he said, catching his breath.

 “You know, the blocked entrance was entirely set up so bastards like you wouldn’t barge in”, an annoyed voice growled.

 “Yeah, right”, He Cheng interrupted him. A tall and muscular man stood between the pillars, he crossed his arms and glared at He Cheng. His hair was almost white and shaved short, a tattoo was clearly visible on his right arm.

 “Qui”, He Cheng said. The man glared at him.

 “What do you want here? This is not your territory”, he said. He Cheng shrugged.

 “I thought you were protecting this village”, He Cheng said. The man called Qui did not answer. “You let my little brother curse this village however”, He Cheng continued. Qui frowned.

 “I did not let him do anything, I prevented –“, he started.

 “Oh so it’s thanks to you that the curse did not fully unfold?” He Cheng asked. Qui’s frown deepened.

 “But not quite strong enough to block him off entirely, huh?” He Cheng added which was followed by a knife thrown by Qui. He Cheng easily dodged it.

 “Oh come on, I know how you throw your knives”, He Cheng said. Qui’s hands tensed up.

 “Spit it out, what do you want here?” Qui asked.

 “Like you said, this village is not our territory but my brother betrayed us”, He Cheng said. “My father will likely sent for him”. Qui’s face changed.

 “He betrayed you?” he asked.

He Cheng tilted his head. “Yeah, just like you”, he added.

Qui dashed forward so quickly that he had his hands around He Cheng’s neck before he could react.

 “I am not a traitor. I follow someone else, it was nothing personal”, Qui hissed and let go off He Cheng.

 “It wasn’t?” he asked. They looked at each other without saying anything for a while.

 “What is it with your brother then? You want me to protect him?” Qui asked. He Cheng shook his head.

 “Nah, he is headed for this village. You don’t have to do anything, as long as He Tian stays in the village, your spell should make him untouchable for our people. Just don’t hand him over, don’t let him leave”, He Cheng said.

 “Wow”, Qui said and scoffed. “You almost sound like your old self”. He Cheng frowned.

 “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked sharply.

 “Like when we were still – whatever”, Qui murmured.

 “So you’ll do it?” He Cheng asked. Qui glared at him.

 “Not for you, though”, he grunted. They were interrupted by a happy bark and a dog dashed out between the pillars and greeted He Cheng.

 “I’ll reward you properly”, He Cheng said while he petted the dog’s head.

 “Will you?” Qui murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist sneaking in a little bit of He Cheng and Qui-ge. I really like those two characters!
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos you have left, I'm really overwhelmed. Thank you so much!


	5. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, but maybe I'll write some more tianshan stories in the future...

He Tian and Mo Guan Shan arrived three days later at the village. Guan Shan’s heart sped up when he saw the familiar forest, the river and the tops of the houses as they touched down. It had been almost two weeks now since he had been here. It was strange how nothing had changed, he felt so different that he somehow had assumed even the village would have changed.

 “I’ll go and see my mother”, Guan Shan said. He Tian hurried after him as Guan Shan tried to walk straight into the village.

 “No, no. Not so fast. Everyone thinks you’re dead. You cannot just walk in there”, He Tian said.

 “I don’t care”, Guan Shan said and shook off He Tian’s hands. He Tian sighed.

 “I’ll see you there”, he said.

 “Huh?” Guan Shan made and turned around but He Tian had already spread his wings and took off.

Guan Shan knew the village well enough to get to his house unseen. And sure enough, He Tian was already there, he waited for him at the back door. Guan Shan pushed the door open. It was cold inside.

 “Mum?” he called timidly.

It was dark. There was a snap and a crackling sound as flames appeared in He Tian’s hands.

 “Mum?” Guan Shan repeated. There was a groan somewhere and Guan Shan rushed forward, stumbling over furniture and other things into the bedroom.

 “Mum!” The candles on the table and the fireplace all lit up with He Tian’s flames.

 “Am I fading?” a weak voice asked. “I knew I’d see you on the other side again, my boy”, Guan Shan’s mother said with a smile.

 “No, no. Mum, I’m here. I’m not dead”, Guan Shan said with tears in his eyes and took his mother’s cold hand.

 “I-I’ll get herbs for you, I’ll make you new medicine. I’m sorry – I’m sorry, I was gone and I couldn’t take care of you”, Guan Shan whispered. His mother cupped his cheeks and smiled. Guan Shan immediately got up and hurried into the kitchen.

 “You’re doing all the medicine yourself?” He Tian asked.

Guan Shan flinched, he had almost forgotten about the demon following him into the kitchen. Guan Shan nodded curtly. He Tian also lit up the candles in the kitchen. Guan Shan hurriedly took some of the hanging dried herbs and began cutting them. He stopped as his hands wouldn’t stop shaking, he knew it was useless by now.

 “Can’t you – do anything? Can you fix her?” Guan Shan asked. He Tian looked at him, his expression was serious.

 “I’m a demon, Mo Guan Shan. I’m not an angel or a god”.

Guan Shan looked desperately at him.

 “But I’ll help you. I need to get a good look at her”, He Tian said. “Do you have a blanket or a cape?” He Tian asked.

 “What?” Guan Shan asked surprised.

 “I need to cover my wings, shocking or scaring your mother won’t do any good”, He Tian said.

 “Oh – right”, Guan Shan murmured and hurried out of the kitchen and returned with a cloak. He Tian threw it over his body and then walked into the bedroom. Guan Shan followed him.

 “Mum, this is – He Tian”, he introduced the demon awkwardly.

 “Is this your friend?” she asked with a kind smile. Guan Shan opened his mouth.

 “Yes”, He Tian answered friendly.

 “Thank you for making fire, the warmth is nice”, she said.

 “You’re welcome”, He Tian said calmly.

 “I think I’ll go out and get you two some food, right?” he muttered to Guan Shan who nodded.

 

When He Tian returned from the river with several fish and fresh herbs, he heard Guan Shan talking to his mother in the bedroom.

 “- a demon?”

 “Yes, mum. But it is alright, he saved me… he saved me more than once. He is – good, demons are not all bad, mum”, Guan Shan said.

He Tian stood frozen in the doorway and then turned around quietly and put the fish down in the kitchen. Guan Shan soon appeared in the kitchen.

 “You’re back”, he said. He Tian looked up.

 “Yeah, I’ll stay here for now and help you with your mum”, he said. Guan Shan shook his head immediately.

 “Not if a crazy gang of demons is looking for you”, Guan Shan hissed. He Tian smiled.

 “They won’t get me here”, he said. Guan Shan frowned.

 “What is that supposed to mean?” He Tian watched Guan Shan prepare the fish.

 “The gods you are worshipping at that temple – that is actually a demon”, He Tian said. Guan Shan almost cut his finger.

 “What?!” he called. He Tian laughed.

 “He’s a traitor – well, my brother always said that. This land here is his territory, or well, it is his boss’ territory. He protects this land and this village. That means no demons from my kind can enter this village”, He Tian said.

 “But you – you are here. How could you get in then?” Guan Shan asked confused.

 “I betrayed my family, remember?” He Tian said ad shrugged.

 “And before? When you grabbed me at the temple?” Guan Shan asked.

 “The temple is at the border”, He Tian explained. Guan Shan shook his head.

 “Does that mean I’m stuck with you for – a long time?” Guan Shan asked. He Tian grinned. “A very long time”.

Guan Shan pulled a grimace.

 “Also that She Li guy, don’t worry about him anymore. The village won’t dare to hurt you either, I’d say”, He Tian added airily. Guan Shan froze.

 “What does that mean?”

He Tian’s eyes darkened into an eerie black that scared Guan Shan and he had to avert his eyes.

 “I had to keep a promise, a deal I once made”, He Tian said darkly.

Guan Shan did not feel like he wanted to know what He Tian was talking about. But he wondered how the village would deal with having a demon living amongst them. While Guan Shan was preparing dinner, He Tian was playing with a silver coin that was slightly bent.

 “Two souls as promised, mine and She Li’s. Give him back his memories of me”, he muttered as he threw the coin into the air and caught it.

 “I fulfilled the deal”, he whispered. “Death, you will deceive me only once”, he said and then joined Guan Shan and his mother at the dinner table.

 

*

 

 “What are you doing?” Guan Shan asked and looked around. “There is still some time until sunrise. We won’t find any food here. Look around, does any of this look edible to you – what are you doing?” he asked when He Tian took Guan Shan’s hands and pulled him along.

They had been picking fresh herbs for making new medicine. With He Tian’s help, Guan Shan’s mother’s health had improved by a lot. He Tian did not have to wait long until Guan Shan’s memories of their short lived friendship returned and with it also the terrifying moment of He Tian turning into a demon. He Tian had not thought about it and he had been taken by surprise when Guan Shan told him that he remembered how He Tian had died in front of his eyes and had returned as a demon. When he saw how much the memory disturbed Guan Shan, he almost wished he had not brought them back. For a long time, he averted his eyes and stepped out of the room whenever He Tian entered. He Tian did not give up however. When Guan Shan awoke one night from a nightmare, reliving that very scene of He Tian turning into a demon, he could hardly fight and push the real and adult He Tian off himself. He Tian had his arms wrapped around Guan Shan, despite the other boy boxing him into the stomach.

 "It's alright...", He Tian murmured.

And finally, Guan Shan gave in. From then on, he no longer pushed He Tian away as harshly as before. He still averted his eyes but more because of their new found closeness that had no name yet. The memories of a friendship just beginning to blossom with the first tensions of it being possibly more were no longer overshadowed by the terrible memories of death and demons.

 

The two stopped between the trees and Guan Shan looked around confused.

 “What are we doing here?” He Tian cupped Guan Shan’s face.

 “Are you -?” Guan Shan asked awkwardly.

 “I cannot be human again”, He Tian said.

 “Yeah, I figured”, Guan Shan said.

 “But it doesn’t bother you to be with a demon?” He Tian asked.

 “You’re not exactly giving me another option”, Guan Shan said. He Tian didn’t laugh.

 “I did”, He Tian said.

Guan Shan frowned and then realised, he could have run away the whole time but he didn’t. It had been his own decision to stay with He Tian, to not let his wings burn and drag him into the safe shadows and treat his burns. He held his breath when He Tian leaned in closer. His lips moved and Guan Shan almost didn’t catch his words.

 “Let me stay with you”. He could feel He Tian’s cool breath on his lips.

 “Okay”.

His lips were cold but surprisingly soft. He did not bite him like last time, he held him carefully but Guan Shan felt He Tian’s hands shaking as if it costed him all effort to remain so calm. And suddenly, he realised that he didn’t care. He tiptoed and leaned into the kiss and He Tian’s hand tightened. They stumbled and bumped into a tree and fell to the ground. Both breathing hard, fingers digging into skin, lips and tongues seeking hungrily for more and more. It didn’t matter what could have been or whether there was something as cheesy as fate. They stopped when the sun broke through the leaves above them, the two made their way to a spot with thicker leaves so no sun could harm He Tian. Soon He Tian fell asleep, his arms and legs still tangled with Guan Shan’s. His wings carefully wrapped around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone so so so much for reading this story until the end. I really hope you enjoyed it! I couldn't help but giving them a cheesy, romantic kiss - because they deserve it!!  
> Thank you for leaving such nice comments and all your kudos!


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